The invention is directed to a method for the statistical multiplexing of message cells in an arrangement,
wherein a plurality of input lines and one output line are established; PA1 as a result whereof a message cell cycle is established by the transmission duration of a message cell given a defined transmission bit rate; PA1 as a result whereof message cells having a constant length are transmitted during the course of virtual connections according to an asynchronous transfer mode; PA1 as a result whereof a plurality of message cells can be brought in on the input lines in every message cell cycle and at most one message cell can be forwarded onto the output line; and PA1 as a result whereof a minimum message cell transmission rate and a maximum number of message cells upwardly exceeding the message cell transmission rate are established for every virtual connection. PA1 a memory means having a plurality of memory locations each respectively accepting a message cell is established in the arrangement; PA1 a time axis formed with a plurality of memory elements is established, this time axis being progressively cyclically driven by a time pointer with every message cell cycle; PA1 a time rank is consequently defined for every incoming message cell upon evaluation of the quantities established for the corresponding virtual connection, said time rank indicating the latest permissible point in time by which this message cell must be forwarded; PA1 a message cell is consequently stored in a memory location and the address of this memory location is stored in the memory element of the time axis that corresponds to the corresponding time rank; PA1 when an entry in a memory element driven by the time pointer references the memory location of a message cell, this message cell is consequently entered into a read-out list for an immediate forwarding onto the output line; PA1 when no message cell is entered into the read-out list in the momentary message cell cycle, a read pointer consequently progresses in the time axis up to the entry for a message cell having the next successive time rank, and effects an entry of only the one message cell into the read-out list; and PA1 when a time rank that lies between the momentary positions of the time pointer and the read pointer is calculated for an incoming message cell, this message cell is consequently immediately entered into the read-out list.
The subscribers of communication systems that make use of the transmission principle of statistical multiplexing make demands of performance criteria, such as loss probability and delay. These demands can be met, for example, in that a bit rate reserving that is equal to the peak bit rate of the connection is undertaken for each connection. As is known, this peak bit rate reserving only works effectively when the peak bit rates of the individual connections respectively only amount to a small fraction of the overall transmission bit rate of the connecting path.
A reference having the title "Resource Allocation Using Sustainable Cell Rate and Burst Tolerance Traffic Parameters" in which a new algorithm is recited was presented at the Telecommunications Standardization Sector, Study Group 13, Working Party, Geneva, July 1993. This algorithm is based on the declaration of an average message cell rate and of a maximum number of message cells briefly exceeding the average transmission rate. What is critical for this algorithm is that a limited number of memory locations is to be reserved for each connection. Beyond this, this algorithm assures a minimum message cell rate for each connection that is at least as high as the average message cell rate reserved for the respective connection. Beyond this, the maximum delay of a message cell in this algorithm is limited by the relationship of the maximum plurality of message cells exceeding the average message cell rate to the average message cell rate,
A technical realization of this algorithm is not possible according to the estimate provided in the above described reference.